Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom is the most profitable film in recent memory at Newport's indie emporium, the Jane Pickens Theater. And little wonder.

It is a clever confection, a small, bright tale of two 12-year-olds — Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman), a nerdy and capable Khaki Scout, and Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), a literate and troubled vacationer — who fall in love and run away.

But the story, set on the fictional New England island of New Penzance in the summer of 1965, is not the only draw. There is a local connection, too. A big one.

With the aid of Google Earth — and the enticement of some generous tax credits — Anderson elected to shoot in Rhode Island. And the director, famously obsessed with detail, seemed determined to squeeze all the maritime charm he could out of our little state.

"Wes loves to scout," says Providence-based location scout Colin Walsh, who worked on the film, "so we did a lot of just driving around, hiking trails, visiting lighthouses."

Walsh even enlisted his father, a retired teacher who has lived in Jamestown for more than 30 years, to show Anderson around the place; his dad, an amateur gardener, wound up with a job working on the greenery — shrubs, plants, and whatnot — for the film.

Anderson's New Penzance is a hodgepodge of many Rhode Island treasures: Lincoln Woods, Stepstone Falls in West Greenwich, a small beach at Fort Wetherhill in Jamestown that serves as a refuge for the film's forlorn lovers.

A few souvenirs from Moonrise Kingdom sprinkle the state. The Jane Pickens has perched a couple of tents from the film on the marquee. Inside: a canoe and the sign for Fort Lebanon, one of two Khaki Scout camps featured in the film.

But as far as we can tell, no one has properly mapped Wes Anderson's whimsical Rhode Island. So here it is: a brief tour in pictures and words (spoiler alert: a few plot points are revealed). Perhaps you'll be inspired to see the movie — or, perchance, the real thing.

LIBERAL WARRIOR | April 10, 2013 When it comes to his signature issues — climate change, campaign finance reform, tax fairness — Whitehouse makes little secret of his approach: marshal the facts, hammer the Republicans, and embarrass them into action.

AT BROWN, A WIN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISTS | April 11, 2013 A key Brown University oversight committee has voted to recommend the school divest from coal, delivering a significant victory to student climate change activists.

HACKING POLITICS: A GUIDE | April 03, 2013 Last year, the Internet briefly upended everything we know about American politics.

BREAK ON THROUGH | March 28, 2013 When I spoke with Treasurer Gina Raimondo this week, I opened with the obligatory question about whether she'll run for governor. "I'm seriously considering it," she said. "But I think as you know — we've talked about it before — I have little kids: a six-year-old, an eight-year-old. I'm a mother. It's a big deal."

THE LIBERAL CASE FOR GUNS | March 27, 2013 The school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut spurred hope not just for sensible gun regulation, but for a more nuanced discussion of America's gun culture. Neither wish has been realized.